Rutland County holds two of Vermont's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, two Rutland County places rank among Vermont's ten most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index, including Wilson Castle in Proctor. The index ranks 34 Vermont sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Wilson Castle ranks #5. Dr. John Johnson built the 32-room brick-and-marble mansion in 1885 in Proctor; after his family's finances collapsed, locals nicknamed it "Johnson's Folly." Radio pioneer Herbert Lee Wilson bought the estate in 1939, and it has been open for tours since the early 1960s. Four separate published accounts describe activity there, retold in seven later publications. Visitors describe figures on the stairs, disembodied voices, and the click of billiard balls in the billiard room, often paired with the smell of cigar smoke.

Bowman Cemetery ranks #3. John Porter Bowman commissioned the Laurel Glen Mausoleum in 1881, after his wife, Jennie, and both daughters died within six years; sculptor Giovanni Turini carved a marble figure of Bowman ascending the tomb steps in mourning dress. Three separate published accounts describe activity there. Visitors describe a persistent sense of being watched by the marble figure, and local tradition holds that Bowman required Laurel Hall's staff to set the family table each evening as though his wife and daughters might return.

Statewide, the Hartness House Inn in Springfield ranks #1, and Emily's Bridge in Stowe, the state's most famous haunted site, ranks #6.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Wilson Castle, 2970 West St., Proctor, offers daily guided tours, with seasonal evening paranormal tours also available.Bowman Cemetery, 5443 US-103, Cuttingsville, is free and open to view from the roadside; the adjacent Laurel Hall mansion offers separate seasonal tours.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/vermont/The fact sheet, with cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/vermont/Photo: Bowman Cemetery, on the fact sheet.Venue contact: wilsoncastle.com and bowmanmansion.orgA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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